Note: The HelloWorld example is compatible with Mono because it does not use Windows Forms. All other C# examples use Windows Forms and thus cannot be used directly with Mono.

Next, copy Phidget22.NET.dll from type the following location:

C:\Program Files\Phidgets\Phidget22\Phidget22.NET.dll

Place both the HelloWorld example and the Phidget22.NET.dll file in the same location. Your folder should now look something like this:

Open the command prompt at the folder location and enter the following command:

mcs /r:Phidget22.NET.dll Program.cs

This will create an executable file called Program.exe. Type in the following command to run the example:

mono Program.exe

You should now have the example up and running. When you are ready, the next step is configuring your project and writing your own code!

Editing the Examples

With the exception of the HelloWorld example mentioned earlier, the C# examples are what comprise the Windows Phidget Control Panel. These are all graphical examples, and Mono is a non-graphical environment so you'll need to modify a few things to adapt them for your own purposes. Start with copying the contents of Form1_Load from one of the examples into your mono program's main function.

Then, you can modify any line that mentions phidgetParameters by setting it to the desired value instead of using PhidgetParameters object.

For instance:

try{//set all the values grabbed from command line. these values have defaults that are set in ExampleUtils.cs, you can check there to see them.digout.Channel=phidgetParameters.Channel;//selects the channel on the device to opendigout.DeviceSerialNumber=phidgetParameters.SerialNumber;//selects the device or hub to opendigout.HubPort=phidgetParameters.HubPort;//selects the port on the hub to opendigout.IsHubPortDevice=phidgetParameters.isHubPortDevice;//is the device a port on a VINT hub?if(phidgetParameters.isRemote)//are we trying to open a remote device?{digout.IsRemote=true;Net.EnableServerDiscovery(ServerType.Device);//turn on network scanif(phidgetParameters.Password!=null&&phidgetParameters.ServerName!=null)Net.SetServerPassword(phidgetParameters.ServerName,phidgetParameters.Password);//set the password if there is one}elsedigout.IsLocal=true;digout.Open();//open the device specified by the above parameters}catch(PhidgetExceptionex){errorBox.addMessage("Error opening device: "+ex.Message);}

You'll also have to remove some references to graphical elements such as ErrorEventBox. If you assign event handler functions, you'll have to define them before your main function, similar to the manager events in the HelloWorld example we covered earlier.

You can then manipulate the rest of the code as your application requires. A more in-depth description of programming with Phidgets will be covered in the next section.

Setting up a New Project

When you are building a project from scratch, or adding Phidget functionality to an exisiting project, you'll need to configure your development environment to properly link the Phidget .NET library.

To include the Phidget .NET library, simply add the following lines to the top of your code:

usingPhidget22;usingPhidget22.Events;

Then, proceed to add your code to your main function.

Next, copy Phidget22.NET.dll from type the following location, and place in in the same folder as your program:

C:\Program Files\Phidgets\Phidget22\Phidget22.NET.dll

Open the command prompt at the folder location and enter the following command:

mcs /r:Phidget22.NET.dll Program.cs

This will create an executable file called Program.exe. Type in the following command to run the example:

mono Program.exe

Success! The project now has access to Phidgets.

What's Next?

Now that you have set up Phidgets to work with your programming environment, we recommend you read our guide on Phidget Programming Basics to learn the fundamentals of programming with Phidgets.